Parking meters allow drivers of vehicles to park in metered parking spots on limited, pay-to-park bases. FIG. 1 is an illustrative, conventional parking meter 100. The parking meter 100 has a reinforced outer casing 102 to store and protect money inserted into the payment accepter 104. Money inserted into the payment acceptor 104 essentially allows a driver to rent a spot for a certain amount of time, with that time being displayed on a display 108, which is shown as a digital readout (although analog needles and other suitable displays have been used). Typically, the meter 100 is connected to a pole 110, which is, in turn, firmly implanted in the ground proximate to the parking spot.
Authorized parking enforcement personnel may collect the money stored in meters, for example, using the keyed entry or locking mechanism 106. Such authorized parking enforcement personnel also may check the status of the parking meters and issue parking violations or tickets to drivers who are parked in spots with expired meters. Typically, this ticketing process involves a complicated and time-consuming process of recording information about the vehicle (e.g., license plate number, state of registration, make/model of the vehicle, etc.), the violation (e.g., time, location, etc.), writing up a ticket by hand, etc. A copy of the information is provided to the vehicle or driver thereof, often by placing a small paper ticket on the windshield of the vehicle. Another copy of the information is sent to the enforcement location (e.g., motor vehicle administration, department of motor vehicles, local enforcement office, etc.). Drivers then have to pay their tickets by mail, or over the phone.
Unfortunately, conventional parking meters and associated ticketing processes suffer from several disadvantages. For example, time and money may be wasted while parking enforcement personnel walk about in search of parking violations. Also, parking enforcement personnel cannot check all meters simultaneously. Thus, revenue may be lost as a result of drivers failing to provide payment to their meters, and/or parking tickets not being issued to drivers parked at expired meters. Conventional techniques therefore are not always “fair” in the sense that some drivers who deserve tickets are not ticketed while others are ticketed.
Thus, it will be appreciated that there exists a need for improved parking meter related techniques.
One aspect of certain example embodiments of this invention relates to parking meters configured to identify vehicles parked in their spots. Such identification may be accomplished by way of a camera or other video/image capture device located on or proximate to the meter, and/or via a receiver, transmitter and/or transceiver located on the vehicle and/or meter.
Another aspect of certain example embodiments of this invention relates to parking meters configured to print parking tickets via a printer located on the meter.
In certain example embodiments of this invention, there is provided a parking meter. A payment acceptor may be operable to accept payment. A display may be operable to display a validated period during which the meter is valid (i.e., during which parking in the corresponding spot is legal), with the validated period being based on an amount of payment inserted into the payment acceptor. Vehicle identifying programmed logic circuitry may be operable to identify a vehicle parking in, parked in, and/or leaving a parking spot associated with the parking meter. A printer may be operable to print a parking ticket when a parking violation occurs, with the printed parking ticket including (a) vehicle identification information from the vehicle that was detected by the meter (e.g., one or more of license plate number, state of registration; vehicle owner; vehicle serial and/or model number; DMV identifier, etc.), and (b) parking violation information (e.g., money amount owed due to ticket, violation, and/or the like).
In certain other example embodiments of this invention, there is provided a method of issuing a parking violation ticket to a vehicle parked at a parking meter. Vehicle identification information may be gathered from the vehicle parking in, parked in, and/or leaving a spot associated with the parking meter. When payment is inserted into a payment selector of the parking meter, an amount of time during which the meter is validated may be updated. When the amount of time during which the meter is validated has lapsed, a parking violation ticket may be printed, with the parking violation ticket including the vehicle identification information and/or parking violation information.
Certain example embodiments may identify a vehicle using an image and/or video captured by an image capture device (e.g., a camera). Certain other example embodiments may identify a vehicle using a transceiver and/or receiver located on (including “in”) the meter that communicates with a transceiver (or transmitter, or receiver) or the like on the vehicle. These techniques may be used with one or more of front-in and/or back-in parking spots, angled parking spots, parallel parking spots, well-defined parking areas, etc.
The aspects and embodiments may be used separately or applied in various combinations in different embodiments of this invention.